EnerGrow is an appliance financing start-up based in Uganda. We partner with energy companies to help people purchase appliances to increase their incomes which they could not normally afford.

EnerGrow partners with energy companies to do this in the communities they are expanding into. Why? Hundreds of millions of people across Africa have expensive on- and off-grid electricity connections that are barely used. Customers can afford power, but they cannot afford appliances that could help earn an income.

This situation both leaves energy companies across Africa economically challenged while their customers remain stuck in an unnecessary poverty trap. Energy companies are slow to expand into rural areas and cannot provide good services even in urban areas because so many customers consume so little that the energy companies often struggle to afford to maintain their infrastructure.

EnerGrow’s data-driven asset finance helps accelerate rural electronification and improve rural energy services while at the same time increasing rural peoples’ incomes.

Customers win. Energy companies win. EnerGrow wins. Together – we will change Africa.

About the Role

EnerGrow remains in our pilot phase but is quickly growing. We are therefore have a very start-up culture of experimentation, idea generation, hard work, and chipping in wherever help is needed on the team.  We currently managing four separate donor-supported projects all driving EnerGrow towards becoming a sustainable asset financing business.

We are trialing different distribution models, different asset categories and building out our internal systems, processes while expanding geographically. We anticipate to be in 8-12 locations in Uganda by the end of the year with operations or distribution partnerships across all of them, and opening an office in one additional country by early 2022.

As in all start-ups, the Senior Credit Manager will be responsible for providing efficient oversight of a variety of operational areas. For EnerGrow this will include credit systems evolution, customer credit scoring and risk analysis, repayments management, data analysis, portfolio management and scale-up / expansion planning with senior management.

The manager should be pro-active, and effective at handling a small team of equally pro-active individuals, planning and monitoring work, be good at problem-solving and be extremely good at management multiple workstreams and multi-tasking. You’ll be working closely with the CEO, Special Projects and Expansion Manager, Sales and Marketing Manager, Senior Operations Manager, Customer Success Manager, Accountant and the rest of the team.

What excites you

• Being part of an organization that is changing Africa’s future for the better.
• A fast-paced environment where constant change is the norm and individual initiative-taking is encouraged.
• Having autonomy to implement your creative solutions – not just coming up with ideas, but possessing the commitment and skill to implement them.
• Passion for organization, attention to detail, and precision.

What you will make happen

EnerGrow is an innovative asset financing company in Uganda that provides asset loans and training to micro, small and medium businesses as well as households. EnerGrow is disrupting the small business finance industry by offering loans that traditional banks deem too risky and that microfinance institutions have historically charged too much for. By leveraging external and internal data, EnerGrow is developing a new model to extend credit to rural communities.

EnerGrow is rolling out several financing pilots in Uganda and is looking for a talented Senior Credit Manager to manage financing and guide the company’s approach to assessing and managing risk. This is a role that will come with significant responsibilities and the opportunity to grow and drive strategy within a dynamic start-up culture.

Amongst other things, the successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Refining EnerGrow’s process for receiving and appraising loan applications
• Leveraging data to create, improve, monitor and automate credit assessment practices
• Refining operational manuals covering the entire customer journey
• Improve loan and portfolio performance
• Identifying new data sources and/or collaborations to gain deeper insights
• Pilot adaptations to credit practices to improve product reach, repayment rates, affordability and product profitability
• Develop business friendly consumer financing products
• Modeling and monitoring company risk and exposure
• Monitoring customer repayments and taking proactive action based on learnings
• Creating and improving reporting systems to guarantee company-wide understanding of loan portfolio performance
• Understanding and acting upon local microfinance regulations
• Support operations teams on loan management and collections practices

What you already have:

• A self-starter, collaborative, entrepreneurial attitude and team spirit
• 5+ years’ experience in asset financing or microfinance in development contexts
• Proven track record of sustainably increasing the reach of a financing product
• Experience managing or working with high performing loan portfolios
• Understanding of development contexts and the systemic financial challenges faced by small businesses and households
• Passion for financial and social inclusion and a belief that data and technology can be instrumental in addressing these challenges
• Strong data analysis skills (ideally including experience with Python or similar)
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including in managing disagreements
• A team player who can manage efficiently in a changing environment
• Ability to work independently
• High level of integrity